Kamal Adham

Kamal Adham (; 1929 – 29 October 1999) was a Saudi businessman and the director general of Al Mukhabarat Al A'amah from 1965 to 1979. He served as a royal counsellor to both King Faisal and King Khalid.

Early life and education Kamal Adham was born in Istanbul in 1929. His mother, Asia, was Turkish.

Adham studied at Victoria College in Alexandria and then at Trinity College, Cambridge. King Faisal appointed him as head of Al Mukhabarat Al A'amah (later renamed General Intelligence Presidency (GIP)) in 1965, making him the first president of the agency. Adham's tenure lasted for fourteen years until 19 January 1979 when he was dismissed and replaced by Turki bin Faisal in the post. Adham was among the close advisors to King Khalid from 1975 to 19 January 1979. Adham told his associates in 1972 that the Shah of Iran, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, would be removed. His prediction was not taken into consideration or shared by advisors of the US president Nixon. Additionally he was the primary liaison of the CIA for the Middle East as a whole from the mid-1960s to 1979 when he left the GIP.

Adham signed the charter of the Safari Club, an anti-communist foreign policy initiative on behalf of Saudi Arabia that was proposed and realized by French intelligence chief Alexandre de Marenches in 1976. The other participating countries of the Club were Egypt, Iran and Morocco. The first meeting of the group was held in Saudi Arabia in 1976. Raymond Close, a former CIA station chief in Saudi Arabia, left CIA and began to work for Adham in 1977 when he was the head of the GIP. Adham was also one of the major shareholders of the Bank of Credit and Commerce International (BCCI). In 1972, he met the founder of the BCCI, Agha Hasan Abedi.

He was one of the early shareholders of the influential media company, Saudi Research and Marketing. In addition, he had investments in Egypt, owning 4% of Delta Bank. He also became a business associate of Anwar Sadat's spouse, Jihan Sadat, and other members of the Sadat family. Adham along with Adnan Khashoggi was one of the founders of the gold company, Barrick Gold Corporation that was established in 1983.

In 2001, his son Mishaal was named as the chairman of the Kamal Adham Group. On 23 January 1962 the ministry reported that the secret agreement between Adham and the Arabian Oil Company had been cancelled. As a result of this clash Tariki was removed from the office in March 1962.

Adham involved in the huge BCCI scandal at the beginning of the 1990s. The US prosecutors accused him of playing a key role in the secret and illegal takeover of First American bank by BCCI. Adham agreed to pay a staggering amount of $105 million fine in return for a reduced sentence. His wife, Nadia, was from the Samaqiyya family of Syrian and Egyptian origins.

Kamal Adham died of a heart attack in Cairo on 29 October 1999. He was 71. His body was brought back to Saudi Arabia for burial.

Adham was fluent in four languages, namely Arabic, Turkish, English, and French.

Awards and legacy Adham was awarded the Knight Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George in 1967 when he was part of King Faisal's entourage in his state visit to the United Kingdom.